No. 3 Elmira College (15-3-1, 10-2-0 ECAC West) at Buffalo State (15-4-0, 9-3-0 ECAC West)
Friday, February 5, 2016 | 4:00 P.M. | Buffalo State Ice Arena – Buffalo, NY
Live Coverage | Game Notes
 
No. 3 Elmira College (15-3-1, 10-2-0 ECAC West) vs. Buffalo State (15-4-0, 9-3-0 ECAC West)
Saturday, February 6, 2016 | 3:00 P.M. | Buffalo State Ice Arena – Pine Valley, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles | Game Notes
 
Elmira, NY -- The third-ranked Elmira College women's ice hockey team will look to get back on track when it takes on Buffalo State in a home-and-home, which will have major ECAC West Tournament implications on Friday, February 5^th, and Saturday, February 6^th. The second of those contests will be at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena as part of Athletic Alumni Weekend festivities.
 
Last Time Out
The Elmira women hit a big snag in their run through ECAC West play this past weekend, dropping a pair of contests to top-ranked Plattsburgh State at the Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena. It was a slow start doomed the Purple and Gold on Saturday, as the Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead during the first 17 minutes of play. Trailing 4-0 midway through the third period, EC came to life, scoring twice in the span of 1:06 to get back in the contest. Sarah Hughson '18 punched in a loose puck near the back post to open the scoring, while Shannon Strawinski '19 scored a sparkler of a goal on a partial break, setting up an exciting conclusion. Elmira was later awarded a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage with back-to-back Plattsburgh penalties; however, the Cardinals penalty kill rose to the occasion to stymie the comeback in its tracks. Sunday afternoon was all about the special teams, as Plattsburgh went 4-for-6 on the power play and added a shorthanded goal to run away with the contest in the third period.
 
Rookie Returns
It is safe to say that Elmira's excellent crop of first-year players have had a major influence in helping the Soaring Eagles not miss a beat coming off its run to the National Championship Game a season ago. EC rookies have shown up on the score sheet in a big way, combining for 23 goals and 36 assists. With the 59 points on the year, the Class of 2019 has accounted for 34.7-percent of the team's total scoring. EC rookies continued to play a big role in the offense over this past weekend, as Shannon Strawinski '19 netted a goal, while Kristin Chivers '19 and Katie Granato '19 recorded assists on Saturday. Granato followed that up with the lone Elmira goal on Sunday.
 
Chivers Continues to Rank High
Freshman blue-liner Kristin Chivers '19 continues to rank among the nation's best in terms of both rookie and defenseman scoring. She pushed her point total on the year to 19, adding an assist on Elmira's first goal on Saturday. The Antioch, IL, native sits in a tie for fifth nationally among freshmen in point scoring, while her 19 points rank third among all defenders in the country.
 
Cleaning Up the PK
The Elmira penalty-killing unit has been a strength of the team all season; however, it struggled to gain traction over the weekend against Plattsburgh State. The Soaring Eagles had been 66-for-70 (94.3-percent) entering the weekend, but conceded five goals on 10 opportunities to the Cardinals in the two-game set. EC still ranks 17th in the nation at 88.8-percent on the year; however, the team will need to sure things up ahead of facing Buffalo State's 16th-ranked power-play unit, which has hummed at an 18.7-percent clip this season.
 
Piku Closing In on Career High
With her primary assist on Granato's goal on Sunday, Phoebe Piku '16 moved within one assist of tying her single-season career high of 12, which she set a season ago. She has recorded helpers in five of her last six contests overall.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira has dominated the all-time series with Buffalo State, posting a 34-1-0 record against its ECAC West counterpart. EC has won eight straight in the series between the two teams heading into this weekend's home-and-home. The lone Buffalo State win was a 4-3 overtime decision during the 2010-11 campaign.
 
Scouting Buffalo State
The Bengals are enjoying a season to remember in 2015-16, as the team already has shattered the program's single-season win record. Buffalo State enters the weekend with a 15-4-0 overall record and a 9-3-0 mark in ECAC West play. The series will have big ECAC West Tournament implications, as Elmira holds just a slim two-point advantage over Buffalo State for the second bye through the tournament's opening round. The Bengals opened the year with eight consecutive victories, before falling into a rough patch falling in three straight, which included a series sweep at the hands of Plattsburgh State. Buffalo State has rallied since that point, entering the weekend as winners in seven of its last eight. The Bengals are coming off a two-game sweep of Oswego State by 3-1 and 2-0 margins. Defense has been key for the squad, as it is tied with Elmira for 15th in the nation in scoring defense at 1.68 goals allowed per game. The offense is powered by a sophomore cast, as second-year players occupy six of the top seven spots in terms of points. Erin Gehen paces the group with a 14g-8a-22pts line in 18 appearances this season. Senior Nikki Kirchberger ranks second on the team with nine goals and nine assists; eight of her nine goals have come against ECAC West foes. Sophomore Justine Silva has seen the lion's share of minutes in the cage this season. She ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage (.951) and seventh in goals against average (1.34).
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira concludes its regular season home slate next Saturday when it hosts William Smith College in the opening game of a home-and-home weekend set on Saturday, February 13^th. Opening faceoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. The teams will play the second game of the set at William Smith at 3:00 p.m. the following afternoon.